


New York had lied to me, I needed the truth.

by Hail_the_gay



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: F/M, Grief/Mourning, He just wants to see his kid, May and Tony always go out and do stuff that Peter liked for his birthday, Mourning, Peter Parker is technically in here, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony makes a video for Peter, but only as a memory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 06:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23966809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hail_the_gay/pseuds/Hail_the_gay
Summary: “Why couldn’t you sleep Maguna?”“There’s a storm. It’s loud.”He took a deep breath. Peter hated storms, always messed with his hearing. If there was one over at the tower, he’d try to play it off but it was obvious he had gotten no sleep and he’d end up passing out on the floor. “I’m sorry Maguna. What can I do to help.”“Can you tell me a story?”“Of course kiddo. Have I ever told you about a boy named Peter Parker?”She nodded. “Yeah, but I want to hear it again.”__It's Peter Parker's birthday. He'd be 20 this year. And Steve is super nosy while Tony just wants to mourn his kid.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark, Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark
Comments: 9
Kudos: 135





	New York had lied to me, I needed the truth.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading this! I love you all, take care of yourselves.

“What could possibly keep you from going out to dinner with us tomorrow night? We’re even having dessert first.” Steve questioned Tony, who sat in his lab in the late hours on August 9th, tinkering with something red that Steve couldn’t see. 

“I have a date, and sadly, you’re not invited.” Tony swiveled around in his chair, grinning. But Steve didn’t miss the quick hide of the red thing, quietly shoved into a compartment on Tony’s table. Tony didn’t want Steve to see.

“With Pepper? Or are you bringing “Playboy” back into your title?” Steve let it off with a light laugh and a witty joke.

“Not her, but no playboy anywhere to be seen. Captain Righteous.” Tony let out a sad smile, looking down at the wrench in his hand but quickly hid it with a large grin and a shake of the head.

“Alright Tony, but if you ever change your mind-”

“I know, I know. I’ll know where to find you.” Tony turned back around and Steve walked out, a little confused.

_

Tony woke in a cold sweat, Peter’s pained face flashing before his eyes. He let out a few deep breaths and sent a glance over to Pepper, who slept peacefully. He walked out to the kitchen after pressing a light kiss to her forehead. He held a glass of water in his hand, filled to the brim with ice cubes. He always liked a lot of ice cubes in his water, so he could chew on them when he felt anxious, or bored, or happy. He just liked the feeling of cold under his teeth, but the kind of cold that stayed for a while. He heard soft feet patter down the steps of the cabin, where he usually was, but occasionally he stayed at the tower on Saturdays. 

“Daddy?” There was a whisper and he jerked his head over to his daughter, who had turned 4 in January. 

“Maguna?” He whispered back, not wanting to wake Pepper, who was just in the other room. “What are you doing up so late?”

“I couldn’t sleep.” She says, fully walking down the steps before running to Tony, who picks up and sets her on his lap.

“Why couldn’t you sleep Maguna?” 

“There’s a storm. It’s loud.” 

He took a deep breath. Peter hated storms, always messed with his hearing. If there was one over at the tower, he’d try to play it off but it was obvious he had gotten no sleep and he’d end up passing out on the floor. “I’m sorry Maguna. What can I do to help.”

“Can you tell me a story?”

“Of course kiddo. Have I ever told you about a boy named Peter Parker?”

She nodded. “Yeah, but I want to hear it again.”

Peter Parker was the bedtime story since Morgan was born, she had always calmed down when told about her big brother and it stayed that way for four years. “Well, Once upon a time, there was a boy named Peter Parker, he was around 14-years-old and he had-”

_

“FRIDAY? Start recording.”

“Recording started.”

Tony took in a breath, and let out a long sigh. 

“Hi Peter. Today is your birthday, again. You would have been 20. In your sophmore year at college. Definitely MIT. I would have had a heart attack if you came home and said “I got into my dream college!” and held up a harvard letter. People think you’d go into physics or something. But you’d be a chemical engineer, I know that for certain. If not chemical, biomedical or something. You always were interested in Barnes’ arm. You told me yourself once, “I want to make prosthetics.” I miss you so goddamn much. Pepper misses you so goddamn much. May misses you so goddamn much. Happy misses you so goddamn much. Sometimes when he visits us at the cabin he says that he can’t wait till Morgan is old enough to chat his ear off, like you did. We all feel like we’re missing something and you’re part of that. Morgan barely knows you as more than a legend. You’ve been a bedtime story for way too long. But she likes it. Sometimes when she can’t sleep, or when I’m tucking her in, she’ll stop me before I leave the room and say “Tell me about the spider-boy.” And I’ll start right from when you were fourteen.” 

He rubs his hand over his face and brings it away to see a streak of water on it.

“Oh. Would you look at that. I’m crying. Hah. The last time I cried was your last birthday. Anyways. I’m going to have lunch with May today. Go over all of the videos you made, the voicemails you’ve sent me. I’m gonna watch all of that. I turned down going to dinner with the team tonight and I didn’t tell Steve why. He probably thinks I’m cheating on Pepper. Whatever. I’ll see him tomorrow. Maybe. FRIDAY? End recording.” 

“Recording ended and saved to file “Underoos””

“Thanks.” Tony put his hands on the table and helped himself up. He pushed the door open and walked back into his kitchen, where Pepper stood with a large mixing bowl, May at her side. The two were chatting it up while Morgan sat on one of the barstools, holding a figurine. Tony moved closer and sat next to her, noticing it was a Spiderman figurine. He smiled sadly at her. Peter had been so excited when he came home with ten plastic boxes pouring out of his bag. “MR. STARK THEY MADE ME A FIGURINE!” He screamed at Tony and unboxed all of them except one. “For posterity.” he said. 

“What are you making?” He turned to Pepper, who had gotten a large pan and was pouring the mixture into it.

“Chocolate cake, Peter’s favorite.” May supplied.

“Oh. Right. With the red and blue rosettes on the top?”

“And 20 candles.” May finished. 

“Are we going out to lunch or not?” He asked her. They always went to Delmars and got three sandwiches. One for each of them and then a ham, cheese, pickle on french bread with mustard, grilled and pressed flat. His favorite. Then Tony and May would sit under Peter’s favorite tree in Astoria Park. And they’d sit in silence sometimes and sometimes they’d talk about him. Sometimes they’d talk about nothing in particular.

“Always. I’ll drive this time.” She provided, grabbing her car keys and moving out to her CR-V in the driveway of the cabin. The road was peaceful, not many cars. And kids were going back to school soon, so they had calmed down on family vacations. May drove towards her apartment, pulling over on the road just before the turn. _Delmar’s_ the sign read. Tony got out, May rushing to his side while he waited on the sidewalk. They walked into Delmar’s, the boy running the counter was someone he had never seen before. He was either new, or had been hired after last year’s August 10th. 

“Hi, can we get a turkey, lettuce, and mayo on wheat bread and a-” Tony stopped listening, instead paying attention to the rest of the store. Peter loved this place. He always got a sandwich before jumping into a nearby alley to inevitably get his backpack stolen. 

“I’m sorry Ma’am, but you can’t do that here.” The boy at the counter said.

“We always used to be able to do it.” May looked visibly upset.  
“Hey, what’s going on?” Tony hadn’t really been paying attention, so he needed to be filled in on the details.

“They won’t press it flat anymore.” May said, tears in her eyes. It wouldn’t be a Peter lunch without Peter’s favorite sandwich.

“Hey, is Mr. Delmar here?” Tony asked the kid. The kid visibly paled and nodded, going to the back to retrieve the man.

“Tony, May! what seems to be the problem?” Delmar came out, smiling at them both.

“The kid won’t press it flat.” Tony deadpanned. 

Delmar’s smile dropped, he knew what Tony was referring to. “When these two come in and ask for it pressed flat. You always press it flat.” Delmar turned to the kid.

“Yes sir. Sorry sir.” 

“Good. Now press it flat.” Delmar headed back into the back of the shop, disappearing. 

Tony and May received their sandwiches and they headed off to Astoria Park. Tony and May sat under a large tree, catching up with one another, and then sitting in silence for an hour, eating their sandwiches and leaving the third one untouched. Like always. May drove them back to her apartment, like always, because Tony liked to do something alone. He’d go back to the cabin after they’d had dinner to eat cake with them. 

He walked down the busy street after May had driven to her apartment. Once he came upon an ice cream parlor. The awning was striped with bubblegum pink and cotton candy blue. Peter loved this place. 

“One Mint Chip and one Salted Caramel.” Tony said, walking up to the counter. When he was handed the ice cream, he quickly sat down in a booth in the very corner, pushed up against the window. Peter liked the seat because he could see everything on the street. He pushed the mint chip to the other side of the table, where Peter could see everything. He sat on the other side, staring off into space, slowly eating his salted caramel ice cream. He barely noticed when someone sat on the other side of the table. Right in front of the mint chip.

“Hey Tony.” Tony looked up at the familiar voice and saw a familiar face attached.

“Hey Steve.”

“Did you get stood up or what? I know ‘playboy’ isn’t in the title anymore, but nobody else is here.”

“Can you leave me alone?”

“I want to know why you’re here.” Steve sounded like a therapist. He hated therapist’s

“Why do you care.”

“Because you’re sitting in an ice cream parlor alone, with two ice cream cups.”

“Leave me alone.”

“Can you tell me why you’re here?”

“Mind your own GODDAMN BUSINESS!” Tony growled. Steve looked surprised at the man. 

“For being the embodiment of truth and righteousness, you sure don’t know how to use it correctly.” Tony’s voice lowered, like he was afraid of something.

“I’m sorry for pushing. I’ll leave you alone.”

“Steve, sit down. I’ll tell you. It’s my kids birthday.”

“Morgan?”

“No. He was 16. He’d be 20 today.”

“Oh. Tony I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“Can you tell me about him?”

“His name was Peter Parker. He wasn’t actually my kid but he sure as hell acted like it. He was Spider-Man. Only in highschool, heart of gold.” And Tony spent the rest of the hour telling Steve about his kid. Steve eventually had to leave. But he was ok now. He let it all out and told someone. Tony had a quiet drive back to his cabin. He ate the chocolate cake with his family and they talked about Peter, sharing memories of stupid things he did. But when it was time for Morgan to go to bed, and May had left, Tony shut himself in the lab.

“FRIDAY? Play my Underoos album”

A face lit up on the screen, it was accompanied by fluffy brown hair and a sweet queens accent. 

_“Hi Mr. Stark! Today when I went out on patrol there was this girl in this alley, and she was cornered by like three different guys and so I stopped in to save her. I really need to talk to MJ about rape culture right now. I just can’t believe the-”_

Tony let a tear drop down his face. He was going to get his kid back one way or another.


End file.
